REDIFINING THE ROLE OF THE

ICT PROFESSIONALS

CTO HR4ICT; 6th – 7th July 2015

Maputo, Mozambique

JK Kandie

Director/Human Capital & Administration

The paradox of life?

2

• Who is an ICT

professional?

• What is their current role?

• What is the expected future

Role?

• What skill sets are

required?

The Communications of

Kenya (CA) experience

3

Who is a professional?

• Possess an underlying core body of specialized,

in‐depth, knowledge – Academic/Technical Training

• Has the capacity for independent Decision / action

and held accountable,

• Operating with a high level of responsibility and

autonomy – Practical experience

4

Who is a Professional?

• Bound to a code of professional ethics –

Developed by a professional body.

• Engages in regular continuing professional

development, enhancing relevant technical

and professional skills

5

ICT professional

This entails 3 key components;

• Information – Giver and receiver. The recipient is

passive, and decides on how to use the information –

Broadcasters?

• Communication – packing the message to meet the

Need of the receiver; interactive. PR?

• Technology- the Medium of communication

(The infrastructure, / pipe)

Each of these areas require separate skill sets.

Are there 3 professionals in one?

6

In the past….

• Each of these areas had their own home turf and

each protected their area.

• People had to be trained in IT in order to use basic

tools and generate information.

• There was proliferation of “Computer” colleges in

even in small shopping centres, teaching basic skills.

7

Changed Roles

• The use of information has drastically

changed

• Technical skills are no longer the sole

provinces of the IT people.

• Employees throughout the organization use

technology as a routine

8

9

From Space research to village life, ICT is key

New Role of ICT services

ICT services have moved to the center of life,

affecting every sphere such as;

• Learning/ education

• business,

• entertainment

• social life

• every day events

10

11

With Environmental changes, new skills have to be

acquired

New areas of Focus for ICT The ICT professional will focus on 4 key areas;

• Data Analysis – Understanding that information

people need e.g Investors may need demographic

information for different reasons, eg. Size of youth

market, birth rate for children’s clothes etc

• Risks – Understanding and managing the risks

associated with data

12

New areas of focus

• Appreciation and development of robotics and other

electronic means of doing routine activities.

• Security of information – The greatest theft is no

longer cars or electronic items but information

• Personal data is a product which can be sold.

The new areas of focus require new thinking

13

New Thinking

14

It is better to be a pirate

than to join the Navy

what is the new Role of the ICT

professional Since ICT permeates every sphere of life, the

professional’s role move to;

• Business Partner – Understand the both present and

future direction of business

• Advisor - Appreciate the various applications of ict

and make it simple for the ordinary users.

• Facilitator – Unlocking the creativity of the users

The soft skills are critical for today’s professional to

succeed.

15

The CA Experience

• CA invests in continuous capacity building for

employees. A percentage of the budget is committed

to training and development

• Each employee is expected to attend at least 5 days

of each training each year.

• The training is focused on current trends in the ICT

industry

16

• Training towards “Transforming lives through use of ICT. Facilitator Role

• Laptops and smart phones issued to all staff,

including support staff, as part of their daily

working tools.

17

Investing for future employees

• 30 students are taken every 3 months for

internship programs in various departments.

• The students are exposed to various facets

of work, touching on their area of study.

• The students are also involved in external

activities in order to appreciate wider issues

of ICT regulation

18

Conclusion

• The focus of the ICT business is on solutions and

making use of ICT simple.

• ICT services play a supportive role for business and

life

• Capacity building initiatives should focus on

empowering the employees on soft skills, and

developing creativity

• ICT professionals are no longer computer Geeks,

but Catalysts for Development

19

“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” Albert Einstein

Passion and Imagination

Drive the world

20

THANK YOU

kandie@ca.go.ke

21